KR102310703B1 - Smart Cart - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present specification, disclosed is a smart cart which may comprise: a main frame; a driving unit connected to a lower part of the main frame; a product storage unit forming a space for accommodating the product in an upper part of the main frame; an upper panel formed in an upper part of the product storage unit to cover a part of an upper surface of the main frame and provided with at least one electronic component; a cart terminal provided on one side of the upper panel to perform payment processing of purchase registration products registered by a user; a product weight measuring unit forming at least a part of a lower surface of the product storage unit and measuring the weight of the product accommodated in the product storage unit; and a power supply unit provided at the bottom of the main frame to supply power to the upper panel and the product weight measuring unit.

Description

Smart Cart

The present invention relates to a smart cart that can be used in various shopping stores such as large product stores, department stores, and small stores.

In general, in large product stores or shopping centers, a store employee recognizes a product using a barcode reader at the time of product payment, and then completes the calculation of the product through a Point of Sale (POS) terminal provided at the checkout counter of the store. do.

However, this product payment method is inconvenient in that the customer has to take out the purchased products from the shopping cart to checkout at the checkout and put them back into the shopping cart after the checkout is completed. There is a disadvantage that the store can become very crowded because store employees must always be on the premises to pay for products.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2011-0127860 (hereinafter referred to as Prior Invention 1) discloses that a product is recognized using the barcode recognizer through a shopping cart equipped with a barcode reader and a terminal. Then, a product purchase system and method using a mobile smart cart for performing payment for the recognized product using the terminal are disclosed.

However, in the case of Prior Invention 1, there is a disadvantage in that there is a possibility of theft of the product because it is not prepared for the case where the product is not recognized through the barcode recognizer.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problem.

One of the various tasks of the present invention is that the payment of the payment target product can be performed in a smart cart, and accurate information of the payment target product can be confirmed by performing the payment of the products based on the weight of the products, and the cart and the charging cable An object of the present invention is to provide a smart cart that can efficiently manage the cart by locking and unlocking the payment method depending on whether or not it is connected.

A smart cart according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object is a main frame, a driving unit connected to a lower portion of the main frame, and a product storage unit forming a space for accommodating products in the upper portion of the main frame , an upper panel formed on the upper portion of the product storage unit to cover a portion of the upper surface of the main frame and provided with at least one electronic component, a cart provided at one side of the upper panel to perform payment processing for purchase registration products registered by a user A terminal, which forms at least a part of a lower surface of the product storage unit, and is provided at the lower portion of the main frame and a product weight measurement unit for measuring the weight of the product accommodated in the product storage unit, the upper panel and the product weight measurement unit Includes a power supply for supplying power to the.

In addition, the upper panel may include a product recognition unit for recognizing a product in order to register the purchase registration product in the cart terminal, and a payment means insertion unit into which the user's payment means is inserted.

In addition, the sum of the weight of the purchase registration product through the weight measurement unit, the total weight of the smart cart and the user before the user's shopping starts (hereinafter, the first cart weight), and the smart cart after the user's shopping type; It may further include a storage unit for storing the product contained in the smart cart and the user's total weight (hereinafter, second cart weight).

And, when it is determined that the difference between the first cart weight and the second cart weight is within a first error range calculated based on the sum of the weights of the purchase registration products, controlling the payment for the purchase registration products to be performed It may further include a control unit.

In addition, the payment means insertion unit includes a base, an accommodation portion formed on one surface of the base to hold the payment means, and a lock and release unit for maintaining the state held by the payment means or releasing the gripped state in the accommodation portion. may include

In addition, the payment means inserting unit may further include an insertion hole to which a charging cable is connected, a motor providing power to the locking and releasing unit, and a locking and unlocking control unit controlling the motor to determine whether to hold the payment method. can

In addition, the lock and release control unit, when the charging cable is separated from the insertion hole, may control the motor to maintain the grip of the payment means.

And, when the charging cable is connected to the insertion hole, the lock and release control unit may control the motor to release the grip of the payment means.

In addition, the lock and release control unit, after the payment of the payment means inserted into the payment means insertion unit is approved, when the charging cable is connected to the insertion hole, to control the motor to release the grip of the payment means can

and a control unit for classifying the type of product recognized through the product recognition unit into at least two products of a first type product, a second type product, and a third type product, wherein the first type product is a youth product The harmful product, the second type of product may be a pay-as-you-go bag, and the third type of product may be a product other than the first type and the second type.

In addition, a front panel constituting the front surface of the main frame may be further included, and the front panel may include a light emitting unit emitting a light source when the product recognized through the product recognition unit is a pre-stored specific product.

In addition, the light emitting unit, a first light emitting unit emitting a first light source when a product that the user wants to purchase includes a product harmful to juveniles, and a product that the user wants to purchase includes a pay-as-you-go bag different from the first light source A second light emitting unit emitting a second light source may be further included.

Each feature of the above-described embodiments may be implemented in combination in other embodiments as long as they are not contradictory or exclusive to other embodiments.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to perform payment for goods in a smart cart, thereby increasing the operational efficiency of an offline store, and by providing a payment method lock and unlock device in the smart cart, a charging cable is installed in the smart cart When separated, the payment method is locked, and when the charging cable is connected to the smart cart, the user's payment method is unlocked to prevent theft of the smart cart and to prevent the smart cart from being discharged.

In addition, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, after performing the weight verification step using the smart cart and the weight measurement unit provided in each store, if the weight verification is passed, automatic payment for the payment target product can be performed. A smart cart can be provided. Accordingly, the time required for customers to line up at the checkout counter and check out products at the offline retail store can be shortened, and the offline store operator can have the effect of reducing costs by not having to put in cashier manpower, and from the user's point of view, purchase After registering as a product, the product excluded from the smart cart is paid for without canceling the purchase, preventing financial damage, and the store has the effect of preventing theft of the product.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly recognized by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 to 4 are diagrams for explaining a smart cart according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining a payment processing system of a store in which a product can be purchased using a smart cart.
6 is a diagram for explaining a store server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view for explaining an entrance area and a payment area of a store.
8 is a view for explaining a payment processing method in a store using a smart cart.
9 is a view for explaining a configuration in which a smart cart and a payment means are inserted according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view for explaining a state in which the charging cable is connected to the smart cart of FIG.
11 is a view for explaining the configuration of the smart cart of FIG.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following detailed description is provided to provide a comprehensive understanding of the methods, apparatus, and/or systems described herein. However, this is merely an example and the present invention is not limited thereto.

In describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to intentions or customs of users and operators. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the content throughout this specification. The terminology used in the detailed description is for the purpose of describing embodiments of the present invention only, and should in no way be limiting. Unless explicitly used otherwise, expressions in the singular include the meaning of the plural. In this description, expressions such as “comprising” or “comprising” are intended to indicate certain features, numbers, steps, acts, elements, some or a combination thereof, one or more other than those described. It should not be construed to exclude the presence or possibility of other features, numbers, steps, acts, elements, or any part or combination thereof.

In addition, in describing the components of the embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only for distinguishing the components from other components, and the essence, order, or order of the components are not limited by the terms.

1 to 4 are diagrams for explaining a smart cart according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

1 and 2, the smart cart 1 according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention is a main frame 10 constituting the overall shape, a front panel constituting the front surface of the main frame 10 ( 11), the rear panel 12 constituting the rear surface of the main frame 10, the side panel 13 and the front panel 11 constituting the side surface of the main frame 10, the rear panel 12 and the side surface It may include a product storage unit 20 formed by the panel 13 to provide a space in which the product is placed.

An upper panel 100 covering a portion of the upper surface of the main frame 10 may be provided on the upper portion of the product storage unit 20 .

The upper panel 100 includes a product recognition unit 110 provided to recognize product information, a payment method insertion unit 120 into which the user's payment method is inserted, and a user's simple belongings using the smart cart 1 . It may include a belonging holder 130 that provides a space to put it.

The product recognition unit 110 may recognize the user purchased product in order to register the user purchased product. Here, the product recognition unit 110 optically reads code information, such as a barcode (BarCode), a QR code (QR code), etc. made into a code by combining bars of different thicknesses, for example, to the computer. It may be composed of a reader, which is an input device. The reader may be provided to recognize the code information of the product to be put into any position in the cart (eg, any area or any angle, etc.), and for this, the reader has a plurality of radiating units (not shown) and a plurality of receiving units. (not shown) may be included.

As another example, when the user inputs product information to be purchased into his/her portable terminal, the product recognition unit 110 may recognize the identification information of the corresponding product by receiving the identification information of the corresponding product from the portable terminal or server.

Accordingly, the product recognized through the product recognition unit 110 may be registered as a user purchase product in the cart terminal 200 and/or the store server 540 .

The payment method insertion unit 120 may be configured to insert a payment method used by the user, and the payment method insertable into the payment method insertion unit 120 may be various types of cards such as a user's credit card, debit card, etc. .

The belongings holder 130 may have a flat upper surface, and thus may provide a space in which the user's simple belongings, for example, a wallet, a mobile phone, a car key, etc. are mounted.

On the other hand, a cart terminal 200 for storing and paying for product information scanned by the product recognition unit 110 may be provided on one side of the upper panel 100 .

The cart terminal 200 is a first for notifying the user of the sum of the weight of the products currently contained in the smart cart 1, the weight verification result of the products contained in the smart cart 1, and the payment processing result of the product the user wants to purchase. It may include a display unit 210 and/or a first audio output unit 220 .

The first display unit 210 and/or the first audio output unit 220 provides additional information according to the additional function when the cart terminal has an additional function, for example, a store navigation function, a food recipe search function, and the like. It may also be provided to inform the

In one embodiment, the cart terminal 200 may be provided to extend in an oblique direction rather than vertically upward, and accordingly, the contents displayed on the cart terminal 200 are displayed even if a general adult user does not bow or lower his/her height. can be checked easily.

A product weight measurement unit 25 for measuring the weight of a product placed in the product storage unit 20 may be provided at a lower portion of the product storage unit 20 , and a product storage unit at a lower portion of the product weight measurement unit 25 . A first lower panel (not shown) constituting the lower surface of 20 may be provided. The product weight measurement unit 25 may be configured as an electronic scale.

In exemplary embodiments, the main frame 10 may have a shape in which the upper part protrudes toward the front and the lower part is retracted toward the rear, and power is supplied to the cart terminal 200 in the lower part of the main frame 10 . A power supply unit 40 for supplying may be disposed. In an embodiment, the power supply unit 40 may be disposed lower than the first lower panel, and may be seated on a second lower panel (not shown) constituting the lower surface of the main frame 10 .

That is, the smart cart 1 may have a structure in which the second lower panel, the power supply unit 40, the first lower panel and the product storage unit 20 are sequentially arranged in the vertical direction, and accordingly, the smart cart 1 ), even if a separate space is not provided in the left and right direction, the power supply unit 40 can be stably disposed in the smart cart (1).

On the other hand, the smart cart 1 may further include a cart identification unit 45 that enables identification of each of a plurality of smart carts. Here, the cart identification unit 4 may be configured of, for example, a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, but is not limited thereto. The position at which the cart identification unit 45 is attached to the smart cart 1 is not particularly limited, and the manner in which the cart identification unit 45 is attached to the smart cart 1 is not particularly limited. That is, the cart identification unit 45 may be attached to the lower surface of the second lower panel through an adhesive member, or may be fixed to the space between the rear panel 12 and the power supply unit 40 through a fixing member.

A driving unit 50 for moving the smart cart 1 may be provided at the lowermost end of the main frame 10 , that is, at the lower portion of the second lower panel, and the smart cart 1 is a rolling motion of the driving unit 50 . can move along the ground.

The uppermost end of the mainframe 10 may extend beyond the upper panel 100 to the rear of the rear panel 12, and the uppermost end of the mainframe 10 provides a space for the user to hold the smart cart 1 A handle portion 30 may be provided.

3 is a view for explaining another embodiment of the present invention.

The smart cart according to FIG. 3 is similar to the smart cart described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, except that it further includes a first light emitting unit and a second light emitting unit. Accordingly, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the smart cart 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention emits a preset light source when a specific product is recognized through the product recognition unit 110 and is put in the product storage unit 20 . It may include a light emitting unit 15 for notifying a user or a store employee.

Specifically, the control unit 170 of the smart cart 1 may classify the type of product recognized through the product recognition unit 110 into a first type product, a second type product, and a third type product. . For example, the first type of product is a product harmful to juveniles (eg, alcohol, butane gas, tobacco, etc.), the second type of product is a pay-as-you-go bag, and the third type of product is a first type and a second type It may be a product other than

In exemplary embodiments, the light emitting unit 15 includes a first light emitting unit 15a that emits a first light source when the control unit 170 determines that the product is of the first type, and a second light emitting unit 15a from the control unit 170 . When it is determined as a type of product, it may include a second light emitting unit 15b that emits a second light source different from the first light source, and when the control unit 170 determines that the product is a third type of product, a light emitting unit ( 15) may not emit light.

Here, an LED module may be installed inside each of the first light emitting unit 15a and the second light emitting unit 15b.

In one embodiment, a first LED module for emitting a red light source may be installed inside the first light emitting unit 15a, and a second LED module for emitting a yellow light source inside the second light emitting unit 15b This can be installed. Therefore, when a product that the user wants to purchase includes a product harmful to juveniles, the first light emitting unit 15a may be controlled to emit a red light source, and when the product the user wants to purchase includes a pay-as-you-go bag, the first light emitting unit 15a 2 The light emitting part 15b may be controlled to emit a yellow light source.

4 is a view for explaining the main configuration of a smart cart according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a smart cart 1 according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention is a cart in which a user's payment method is registered and controls to perform payment for a product that the user wants to purchase through the registered payment method. The terminal 200 may include a product recognition unit 110 for recognizing a product purchased by the user in order to register the product purchased by the user, and a product weight measurement unit 25 for measuring the sum of the weights of products contained in the smart cart. At this time, when the product recognition unit 110 is configured as a reader for scanning products, it may be referred to as a scanning unit 110 , and the product weight measurement unit 25 uses an electronic scale to measure the weight of the product. When configured, it may be referred to as a cart scale 25 .

The cart terminal 200 may include a storage unit 140 , a calculation unit 150 , a verification unit 160 , a control unit 170 , and a communication unit 180 .

The storage unit 140 may store information of a registered purchase product and a registered payment method recognized by the product recognition unit 110 and registered as a user purchase product. Here, the product information may include product identification information, product price information, product manufacturer information, inventory information, product weight information, and the like.

Also, the storage unit 140 may classify and store the product weight sum measured by the product weight measurement unit 25 according to a predetermined criterion. As an example, the storage unit 140 recognizes a product through the product recognition unit 110 and registers it as a purchased product, regardless of the “sum of the purchase registration product weight” and whether the purchase is registered in the smart cart 1 . It is possible to classify and store "the sum of the weight of purchase registered and non-purchased products" contained in the smart cart 1 .

In addition, the storage unit 140 may store a first cart weight and a second cart weight to be described later.

The calculator 150 may calculate the sum of the weights of purchased registered products, calculate a first error range and a second error range to be described later, and calculate a difference between a first cart weight and a second cart weight to be described later.

The verification unit 160 may verify whether the difference between the weight of the first cart and the weight of the second cart is within an error range calculated based on the sum of the weights of purchased products.

The communication unit 180 is configured to enable communication of the smart cart 1 , and the smart cart 1 may transmit/receive data to and from various external terminal devices, servers, and the like through the communication unit 180 .

The control unit 170 may control whether to perform payment for the product contained in the smart cart 1 according to the verification result of the verification unit 160 . For example, the control unit 170 prepares a full payment based on the sum of the price information of the registered payment method and the product, and relays the payment such as PG (Payment Gateway), VAN (Value added network), etc. The communication unit 180 may be controlled to transmit/receive to/from the payment server through the server.

On the other hand, the smart cart 1 includes a cart identification unit 45 including unique identification information of the smart cart 1 , a display unit 210 and an audio output unit 220 for visually and voice notification of various information to the user. , a power supply unit 40 for supplying power to the cart terminal 200, and a cart charging unit 60 for charging the power supply unit 40 may be further included. The cart identification unit 45 may be referred to as a cart identification tag 45 when configured as a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, and the power supply unit 40 is referred to as a battery unit 40 when configured as a battery type. can be On the other hand, the cart charging unit 60 may be configured in the form of a charging terminal into which the charging cable of the smart cart charging stand 550 to be described later can be inserted.

In one embodiment, the cart charging unit 60 is located opposite from the front surface of the cart terminal 200 in which the display unit 210 and the audio output unit 220 are disposed, that is, on the rear surface of the cart terminal 200 . can be placed.

5 is a diagram for explaining a system of a store in which a product can be purchased using a smart cart.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the system according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention scans the entrance area 510 where the user and the smart cart 1 enter, the product the user wants to purchase, and puts it in the smart cart 1 . It may include a shopping area 520 and a payment area 530 that performs payment processing control after verifying the weight through comparison of the first cart weight and the second cart weight with the weight sum of the purchase registration product.

In addition, the store further includes a smart cart charging stand 550 for charging the store server 540 and the smart cart 1 for transmitting and receiving signals through the cart terminal 200 and the wireless communication network of the smart cart (1). can do.

Here, the store server 540 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 6 .

6 is a diagram for explaining a store server according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6 , the store server 540 may include a product management unit 541 , a cart management unit 542 , a calculation unit 543 , a verification unit 544 , a communication unit 545 , and a control unit 546 . .

Here, the calculation unit 543 and the verification unit 544 may have a configuration included to perform the respective functions of the calculation unit 150 and the verification unit 160 of the smart cart 1 described above in the server 540 . .

The product management unit 541 may store and manage product information on various products of the corresponding store. Here, the product information may include product identification information, product price information, product weight information, product manufacturer information, inventory quantity, and the like. In this way, the product management unit 541 may perform a product information database function for various products being sold in the store.

Also, the product management unit 541 may store and manage information on purchase registration products for each of a plurality of users shopping at a store. For example, when a product is recognized through the product recognition unit 110 of the smart cart 1 and registered as a purchase product, the communication unit 180 of the smart cart 1 transmits the recognized product identification information to the store server 540 . In addition, the product management unit 541 may store and manage information on the purchase registration product of the corresponding user. In addition, the product management unit 541 may detect product price information, product weight information, product manufacturer information, etc. corresponding to the recognized product identification information, and transmit it to the smart cart 1 through the communication unit 545 . Accordingly, the smart cart 1 may obtain detailed product information about the user's purchase registration product.

The cart management unit 542 may store and manage identification information of a plurality of smart carts 1 used for shopping in a store and weight information regarding the corresponding carts. Specifically, the smart cart and the user's total weight (first cart weight) in the store entrance area 510 and the smart cart, the product and the user's total weight (second cart weight) in the store exit area 530 are identified as a smart cart It can be stored and managed by matching information.

In addition, the cart management unit 542 may classify and store the product weight sum measured by the product weight measurement unit 25 of the smart cart 1 according to a predetermined criterion. As an example, the storage unit 140 recognizes a product through the product recognition unit 110 and registers it as a purchased product, regardless of the “sum of the purchase registration product weight” and whether the purchase is registered in the smart cart 1 . It is possible to classify and store "the sum of the weight of purchase registered and non-purchased products" contained in the smart cart 1 .

Here, the cart management unit 542 may classify and store the above-described information based on user identification information instead of smart cart identification information, and also classify and store the above-described information based on both smart cart identification information and user identification information. have.

The calculation unit 543 may calculate the error range calculated based on the sum of the weights of the purchase registration products measured on the cart scale 25 of the smart cart 1 and the difference between the first cart weight and the second cart weight, respectively. have. That is, the function of the calculation unit 150 of the smart cart described above may be implemented to be performed in a server.

The verification unit 544 may perform a function of verifying whether the difference between the weight of the first cart and the weight of the second cart is within an error range calculated based on the sum of the weights of the purchased products. That is, the function of the verification unit 160 of the smart cart 1 described above may be implemented to be performed in the server.

The communication unit 545 is configured to enable communication of the store server 540 , and the store server 540 may transmit/receive data to and from various external terminal devices, external servers, smart carts, and the like through the communication unit 545 .

The control unit 546 is a configuration for controlling the overall functions of the store server 540, and according to the verification result of the verification unit 544, whether to perform payment of the user purchased product through the cart terminal 200 of the smart cart 1 can be controlled For example, when the verification unit 544 determines that the difference between the first cart weight and the second cart weight is within the first error range, a control signal is generated to control the payment procedure to be started, and the cart of the smart cart 1 It can be transmitted to the terminal 200 or the user's portable terminal. In this case, the cart terminal 200 or the portable terminal may generate a payment message based on the registered card and control the payment for the product.

7 is a view for explaining an entrance area and a payment area of a store.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the entrance area 510 of the store is a space for the user to enter the store by dragging and moving the smart cart 1 . A smart cart recognition unit 513 for identifying (1), a cart weight measurement unit 515 for measuring the total weight of the smart cart 1 and the user, and identification of the smart cart 1 and the smart cart 1 An entrance gate 517 that is controlled to be opened when the user's total weight measurement is completed may be provided.

Similar to the entrance area 510 of the store, the payment area 510 of the store is a space for the user to proceed with payment for products contained in the smart cart 1 and exit the store, and the payment area 530 includes cart identification A smart cart recognition unit 533 for recognizing the unit 45 to identify the smart cart 1, a cart weight measurement unit 535 for measuring the total weight of the smart cart 1 and the user, and the smart cart 1 ) may be provided with an exit gate 537 that is controlled to be opened when the weight verification of the product to be purchased and payment of the product to be purchased are completed after identification.

Here, a communication unit (not shown) may be provided in the entrance area 510 of the store and the payment area 530 of the store, respectively, and the communication unit (not shown) identifies the smart cart recognized through the smart cart recognition units 513 and 533 . Information and gross weight information recognized through the cart weight measurement units 515 and 535 may be transmitted to the store server 540 and/or the cart terminal 200 .

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 7 , when an exit gate 537 for the user to exit the store is installed in the payment area 530 of the store, the payment area 530 may be referred to as an exit area 530 . However, the concept of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. That is, when the exit gate 537 is not installed in the payment area 530 of the store and the exit gate 537 is installed at a position spaced apart from the payment area 530 , the payment area 530 is separated from the exit area and It may be a distinct area, and a space in which the exit gate 537 is installed may be referred to as an exit area.

At this time, the smart cart recognition unit 513 and cart weight measurement unit 515 of the entrance area 510 and the smart cart recognition unit 533 and the cart weight measurement unit 535 of the payment area 530 are substantially the same as each other. or similar, but because there is a difference in the functions performed with each other, the smart cart recognition unit 513 and the cart weight measurement unit 515 of the entrance area 510 are the first smart cart recognition unit 513 and the first cart The weight measurement unit 515 will be referred to, and the smart cart recognition unit 533 and the cart weight measurement unit 535 of the payment area 530 are the second smart cart recognition unit 533 and the second cart weight measurement unit. (535).

In exemplary embodiments, the first cart weight measurement unit 515 is the entrance area ( 510), the second cart weight measurement unit 535 is the smart cart 1 after the end of the user's shopping, the product contained in the smart cart 1, and the user's total weight (hereinafter, the second cart weight) can be placed in the payment area of the store to measure

The entrance gate 517 may be disposed in a direction closer to the shopping area 520 of the store after the user measures the first cart weight together with the smart cart 1, and the exit gate 317 is the user's After measuring the weight of the second cart together with the smart cart 1 and the products contained in the smart cart 1, it may be disposed in a direction away from the shopping area 520 of the store.

On the other hand, when a store enters a structure made up of a plurality of floors, such as a department store, the entrance area 510 , the shopping area 520 , and the payment area 530 may be provided on a plurality of floors, respectively, but the concept of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. That is, the entrance area 510 and the payment area 530 may be provided on only one or less floors among the plurality of floors. Alternatively, the entrance area 510 may be provided on only one or less floors among the plurality of floors, and the payment area 530 may be provided on each of the plurality of floors.

The entrance area 510 and the payment area 530 cover both sides of the smart cart recognition units 513 and 533, the cart weight measurement units 515 and 535 and the entrance/exit gates 517 and 537 to guide the user on the movement path. It may further include guide parts 519 and 539 for doing so. In one embodiment, the guide parts 519 and 539 may be formed of a partition made of a transparent material.

On the other hand, although not shown, the store has a second display unit (not shown) for notifying the store staff of the weight verification result of the product contained in the smart cart 1 and the payment processing result of the product the user wants to purchase, and/or A second audio output unit (not shown) may be further provided.

Hereinafter, a payment processing method for a product to be purchased at a store using the smart cart 1 will be described.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a payment processing method in a store using a smart cart according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the payment processing method in a store using a smart cart according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention includes a store entry step (S1), a payment method registration step (S2), a product registration step (S3), and a product It may include a weight measurement step (S4), a cart weight verification step (S5), a payment processing control step (S6), and a store exit step (S9).

The store entry step (S1) may be a step in which the user enters the store through the entrance area 510 together with the smart cart 1, and the store exit step (S9) is a step in which the user pays with the smart cart 1 It may be a step of passing through the area 510 and leaving the store.

The payment method registration step S2 may be a step of registering the user's payment method in the cart terminal 200 of the smart cart 1 . Meanwhile, although FIG. 8 illustrates that the payment method registration step (S2) is performed after the store entry step (S1), the concept of the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. That is, the payment method registration step (S2) may be performed before the store entry step (S1) or may be performed simultaneously with the store entry step (S1). In exemplary embodiments, the payment method registration step ( S2 ) may be a step of registering various payment methods capable of purchasing a product, such as a user's credit or debit card, or an app card stored in the user's portable terminal.

The product registration step S3 may be a step in which the user recognizes a product through the product recognition unit 110 of the smart cart 1 and registers the product as a purchased product.

Hereinafter, a product registered as a purchased product by recognizing a product by the user through the product recognition unit 110 is referred to as a “purchase registered product”, and a product for which the user does not recognize a product through the product recognition unit 110 is referred to as “purchase not registered”. Products for which purchase registration has been canceled among purchase registration products will be referred to as “purchase registration cancellation products”, and purchase registration items for which purchase registration must be canceled but not canceled will be referred to as “purchase registration uncancelled products”. .

In one embodiment, the payment method registration step (S2) may be performed before the product registration step (S3).

The product weight measurement step (S4) may be a step of measuring the total weight of purchase registration products contained in the product storage unit 20 of the smart cart 1, and the product weight measurement unit 25 of the smart cart 1 is can be done through

The cart weight verification step (S5) is performed on the smart cart 1 and the user's total weight (hereinafter, first cart weight) before the user's shopping start and the smart cart 1 and the smart cart 1 after the user's shopping ends. Whether the difference between the contained product and the user's total weight (hereinafter, the second cart weight) is within the error range (hereinafter, the first error range) calculated based on the sum of the weights of the purchased registered products measured in the product weight measurement step (S4) This may be a verification step.

In the payment processing control step (S6), when the smart cart (1) enters the payment area (520) of the store, according to the verification result of the cart weight verification step (S5), whether to perform payment of the product contained in the smart cart (1) It may be a step to control. At this time, the payment processing control step (S6) is a payment gateway (PG), VAN (Payment Gateway) and Value added network) may be performed by transmitting and receiving with the payment server through a payment relay server, such as.

In exemplary embodiments, in the payment processing control step (S6), in the cart weight verification step (S5), the payment is performed when it is determined that the difference between the first cart weight and the second cart weight is within the first error range. can be controlled as much as possible.

In one embodiment, in the payment processing control step (S6), when it is determined that the difference between the first cart weight and the second cart weight calculated in the cart weight verification step (S5) is out of the first error range, the payment is not performed can be controlled not to.

Here, the first error range may be a range value calculated by applying a +/- error based on the sum of the weights of the products measured in the product weight measurement step S4. For example, the first error range may be in the range of the sum of weights-X to the sum of weights+Y.

Meanwhile, in the payment processing method according to the present invention, an electronic receipt sending step (S7) of receiving product information purchased by the user from the store server 540, generating an electronic receipt, and transmitting the generated electronic receipt to the user's portable terminal may include more.

In addition, the payment processing method according to the present invention may further include a payment method registration deregistration step (S8) of canceling the registration of the user's payment method registered in the cart terminal 200 . Here, the registration release step (S8) may include unlocking the card so that a physical card, such as a credit card or a debit card, inserted into the payment means insertion unit 120 can be removed from the insertion unit 120 . In addition, the registration cancellation step (S8) may include a stored information initialization step of initializing the card information of the user stored in the cart terminal (200).

The electronic receipt sending step (S7) and the payment method registration cancellation step (S8) may be performed after the payment processing control step (S6), respectively.

On the other hand, the electronic receipt sending step (S7) can be performed only when the portable terminal registration step (not shown) of registering the user's portable terminal in the cart terminal 200 of the smart cart 1 is performed, and the user's If the portable terminal is not registered in the cart terminal 200, it may not be performed.

On the other hand, although not shown, a cart weight verification result notification step of providing the verification result of the cart weight verification step (S5) to the user through the cart terminal 200, and a payment processing control step through the cart terminal 200 to the user It may further include a payment processing result notification step of providing the result of (S6). At this time, the cart weight verification result notification step and the payment processing result notification step may be performed after the payment method registration cancellation step (S8), respectively.

9 is a view for explaining a configuration in which a smart cart and a payment means are inserted according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a view for explaining a state in which a charging cable is connected to the smart cart of FIG. , FIG. 11 is a view for explaining the configuration of the smart cart of FIG. 9 .

Since the smart cart of this embodiment includes some of the same components of the smart cart described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, it will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 .

The smart cart of this embodiment includes a main frame 10 , a driving unit 50 , a product storage unit 20 , an upper panel 100 , a cart terminal 200 , a product weight measurement unit 25 , and a power supply unit 40 . may include.

The main frame 10 may form the overall skeleton of the smart cart 1 as described above. The driving unit 50 may be connected to the lower portion of the main frame 10 to move the smart cart 1 . The driving unit 50 of this embodiment may be provided in the form of a wheel.

The product storage unit 20 may form a space for accommodating the product in the upper portion of the main frame 10 . The product storage unit 20 includes a front panel 11 forming an upper front surface of the main frame 10 , a rear panel 12 forming an upper rear surface of the main frame 10 , and a front panel 11 and a rear surface of the main frame 10 . It may be formed by the side panel 13 connecting both sides of the panel 12 and forming the upper side surface of the main frame 10 .

The upper portion of the above-described main frame 10 may mean a relatively upper side than the power supply unit 40 and the driving unit 50 in the smart cart (1).

The upper panel 100 may be formed on the upper portion of the product storage unit 20 to cover a portion of the upper surface of the main frame 10 , and may include at least one electronic component. As the upper panel 100 covers a portion of the upper surface of the main frame 10 , a portion of the open upper surface of the product storage unit 20 may be covered by the upper panel 100 .

When describing the position where the upper panel 100 is formed from another perspective, as the upper panel 100 covers a portion of the upper surface of the main frame 10 , the product enters the product storage unit 20 or the product storage unit ( 20) A part of the entrance of the product storage unit 20 that can be taken out from the inside may be covered by the upper panel 100 .

The electronic component provided in the upper panel 100 may include the above-described product recognition unit 110 , payment means insertion unit 120a, and the like. Of course, the upper panel 100 may be provided with parts for operating other electronic devices other than the above-described examples in consideration of the environment of the store where the smart cart is provided, the main customer base of the store, and the like.

The cart terminal 200 may be provided on one side of the upper panel 100 to store product information and perform payment for the product. One side of the upper panel 100 may mean a direction that covers a portion of the upper surface of the main frame 10 , or the opposite direction may mean a direction toward the handle unit 30 .

The cart terminal 200 of this embodiment may be provided in a state inclined at a predetermined angle in a direction to cover a portion of the upper surface of the main frame 10 . By the location, configuration, and shape of the cart terminal 200 as described above, the user can view the display provided in the cart terminal 200 more conveniently. In addition, it is possible to increase the operability of checking product information through the display and using the navigation function.

The product weight measurement unit 25 forms at least a portion of the lower surface of the product storage unit 20 , and may measure the weight of the product accommodated in the product storage unit 20 . As described above, since the product weight measurement unit 25 forms at least a part of the product storage unit 20 , this means that the product weight measurement unit 25 can form the lower surface of the product storage unit 20 . Of course, it can be interpreted.

As an example of the configuration for forming the product weight measurement unit 25, the product weight measurement unit 25 may be provided with an electronic scale, and in this case, the product weight as described above according to factors such as the shape and structure of the electronic scale The measuring unit 25 may be provided in various shapes forming at least a portion of the lower surface of the product storage unit 20 .

In this embodiment, the product weight measurement unit 25 may form a lower surface of the product storage unit 20 . That is, the product weight measuring unit 25 may be provided in the form of a plate-shaped electronic scale. In this case, the product weight measuring unit 25 may be provided on the first lower panel (not shown) constituting the lower surface of the product storage unit 20 . Alternatively, in order to reduce the weight of the smart cart 1, the product weight measurement unit 25 may be connected to the main frame 10 so that a separate lower panel may not be provided.

The power supply unit 40 is provided under the main frame 10 to supply power to the upper panel 100 and the product weight measurement unit 25 . Since the cart terminal 200 is connected to one side of the upper panel 100 , power may be supplied from the power supply unit 40 through the upper panel 100 . Of course, when the cart terminal 200 is not electrically connected to the upper panel 100 , power may be directly supplied through the power supply unit 40 .

Various electronic components in the upper panel 100 can be driven through the power supplied from the power supply unit 40 , and examples of the electronic components include a product recognition unit 110 , a payment means insertion unit 120a, and the like.

The fact that the power supply unit 40 is provided at the lower part of the main frame 10 may mean that it is provided at a relatively lower position than the product weight measurement unit 25 in the smart cart 1 . The power supply unit 40 of this embodiment is a type of rechargeable battery, and since it is a relatively heavy component among the components constituting the smart cart 1 , the main frame 10 for structural stability of the smart cart 1 . It is preferable to be provided in the lower part of the, that is, the closest position to the driving unit 50 .

The power supply unit 40 may be seated on a second lower panel (not shown) constituting the lower surface of the main frame 10 , or directly connected to the main frame 10 to lower the main frame 10 . Of course, it is also possible to form a surface.

Payment processing through the cart terminal 200 is based on the weight of the purchase registration products recognized by the product recognition unit 110, the first cart weight, and the second cart weight, the payment means inserted into the payment means insertion unit (120a) can be done through In addition, in order to request approval for the above-described payment method, the control unit 170 may generate a payment request message and transmit the payment request message to a payment server such as a credit card company by relaying the payment relay server. Since the control unit 170 controls the payment process based on the sum of the weights of the products measured by the product weight measurement unit 25 as described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The payment method insertion unit 120a of this embodiment includes a base 121a and a receiving unit 123a, and a payment method lock and release unit 127a, an insertion hole 1211a, a motor 125a, and a lock and release control unit 122a. , a signal generator 129a may be included.

Here, although not shown in the payment method insertion unit 120a, the payment method insertion unit 120a may include a card reader function that reads card information of the inserted card and enables payment with the inserted card.

The base 121a is connected to the upper panel 100 and includes a receiving portion 123a, a locking and unlocking portion 127a, and the base 121a of this embodiment is to be formed on one side of the cart terminal 200. can The base 121a may be provided in a shape inclined at a predetermined angle from the upper panel 100 , and the predetermined angle may correspond to an angle formed by the cart terminal 200 and the upper panel 100 . As the base 121a is provided at a position inclined at a predetermined angle from the upper panel 100 , the user can more easily access the configuration for drawing in and withdrawing the payment means provided in the base 121a.

The accommodating part 123a is formed on one surface of the base 121a to hold the payment means, and may form an accommodation space 1231a into which the payment means is inserted. That is, the accommodation space 1231a may be formed by the accommodation part 123a, and since the payment means is inserted and accommodated, it may be formed to correspond to the shape of the payment means.

In an embodiment, when the payment means has a card shape such as a credit card or a check card, the receiving part 123a is a space into which a card is inserted, so the receiving space 1231a may be provided to correspond to the shape of the card. .

The payment method locking and releasing unit 127a may maintain the state in which the payment method is held by the receiving unit 123a or release the held state. The gripped state may mean a state in which the payment means is inserted into the accommodation space 1231a. That is, the payment means locking and unlocking unit 127a may be understood as a configuration for maintaining the state in which the payment means is inserted into the receiving space 1231a or releasing the inserted state for withdrawal.

The payment means locking and unlocking unit 127a of this embodiment is formed on one side of the receiving part 123a and moves back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the payment means is drawn into the receiving space 1231a to accommodate the payment means in the receiving space 1231a. ) can be locked so that it cannot be withdrawn, or can be unlocked so that it can be withdrawn.

As described above, the payment means insertion unit 120a may include a motor 125a for providing power to the locking and unlocking unit 127a to move forward and backward of the locking and releasing unit 127a.

The motor 125a is controlled by the locking and unlocking control unit 122a to move the locking and unlocking unit 127a to withdraw the payment method in the state that is drawn into the receiving unit 123a and is held, or the payment method is The locking and unlocking part 127a may be moved in order to be drawn into the receiving part 123a to maintain the gripped state.

The insertion hole 1211a is a configuration into which the charging cable 61 is inserted, and the charging cable 61 may be inserted into the insertion hole 1211a to provide power to electronic components. Alternatively, power may be supplied to the power supply unit 40 through the charging cable 61 , and electronic components may be driven through the power charged in the power supply unit 40 .

The signal generating unit 129a generates a signal to inform the user that the payment method is drawn into the receiving unit 123a and can be withdrawn, or the payment method is inserted into the receiving unit 123a and indicates that withdrawal is impossible. Signals can be generated to inform. The user may visually check the state of the payment method locking and unlocking unit 127a and confirm whether the payment method is in a locked state or an unlocked state, or hearing through the signal generating unit 129a You can also check whether the payment method is locked or unlocked.

The locking and unlocking control unit 122a of this embodiment may control the motor 125a when the charging cable 61 is separated from the insertion hole 1211a to maintain grip of the payment means. As an example of such a situation, it may mean a case in which the user releases the charging state of the smart cart 1 being charged by being located in a preset charging area to use the smart cart 1 in the store.

That is, the user must separate the charging cable 61 from the smart cart 1 in order to use the smart cart 1 in the charging state through the charging cable 61, and the charging cable 61 to the smart cart 1 ), the user's payment method must be inserted into the receiving unit 123a in advance.

The lock and release control unit 122a controls the motor 125a when the user's payment method is inserted into the receiving unit 123a and the charging cable 61 is separated from the insertion hole 1211a to accommodate the payment method. It is possible to perform a payment method lock state that maintains the state held by the unit 123a.

Alternatively, the lock and release control unit 122a controls the motor 125a when the charging cable 61 is separated from the insertion hole 1211a regardless of whether the payment means is inserted into the receiving unit 123a to lock and By moving the position of the release unit 127a to the locking state of the payment method, it is possible to prevent the payment method from being drawn into the receiving unit 123a. In this case, since the user cannot insert the payment method into the receiving unit 123a, payment approval through the payment method insertion unit 120a is impossible, and the user cannot smoothly enjoy the in-store service through the smart cart 1 .

Alternatively, when the charging cable 61 is connected to the insertion hole 1211a, the lock and release control unit 122a controls the motor 125a to perform a payment method unlocking state that releases the grip of the payment method. As an example of this situation, after the user enjoys all of the services in the store through the smart cart 1, the smart cart 1 is placed in a predetermined charging area equipped with a charging cable 61, and the smart cart 1 ) may mean a state in which the charging cable 61 is connected to the smart cart 1 to charge.

Alternatively, the lock and release control unit 122a controls the motor 125a when the charging cable 61 is connected to the insertion hole 1211a after the payment of the payment method inserted into the payment method insertion unit 120a is approved. In this way, the payment method unlock state to release the holding of the payment method can be performed. That is, when the user enjoys all the services in the store through the smart cart 1, the lock and release control unit 122a checks in advance that the payment through the payment method has been approved, and then only when the payment is approved. By checking whether the charging cable 61 and the smart cart 1 are connected, when the charging cable 61 is connected to the smart cart 1, the payment method unlock state can be performed.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to pay for goods in a smart cart, thereby increasing the operational efficiency of an offline store, and by providing a payment method locking and unlocking device in the smart cart, the charging cable is separated from the smart cart When the payment method is locked, the user's payment method is unlocked when the charging cable is connected to the smart cart to prevent theft of the smart cart and to prevent the smart cart from being discharged.

In addition, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, after performing the weight verification step using the smart cart and the weight measurement unit provided in each store, if the weight verification is passed, automatic payment for the payment target product can be performed. A smart cart can be provided. Accordingly, the time required for customers to line up at the checkout counter and check out products at the offline retail store can be shortened, and the offline store operator can have the effect of reducing costs by not having to put in cashier manpower, and from the user's point of view, purchase After registering as a product, the product excluded from the smart cart is paid for without canceling the purchase, preventing financial damage, and the store has the effect of preventing theft of the product.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention with respect to the above-described embodiments. . Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments and should be defined by the claims described below as well as the claims and equivalents.

Claims (12)

main frame;
a driving unit connected to a lower portion of the main frame;
a product storage unit forming a space for accommodating the product in the upper portion of the main frame;
an upper panel formed on the product storage unit to cover a portion of an upper surface of the main frame and provided with at least one electronic component;
a cart terminal provided on one side of the upper panel to perform payment processing for purchase registration products registered by a user;
a product weight measurement unit forming at least a portion of a lower surface of the product storage unit and measuring the weight of the product accommodated in the product storage unit; and
and a power supply unit provided under the main frame to supply power to the upper panel and the product weight measurement unit.
The upper panel is
a product recognition unit for recognizing a product in order to register the purchase registration product in a card terminal; and
Including; a payment means insertion unit into which the user's payment means is inserted;
The payment means insertion unit,
Base;
a receiving part formed on one surface of the base to hold the payment means;
a locking and releasing unit for maintaining the state in which the payment means is gripped by the receiving unit or releasing the gripped state;
an insertion hole through which the charging cable is connected;
a motor for providing power to the locking and unlocking units; and
A locking and unlocking control unit for controlling the motor to determine whether to hold the payment means;
When the locking and unlocking control unit is connected to the insertion hole after the payment of the payment method inserted into the payment method insertion unit is approved based on the sum of the weights of the products measured through the product weight measurement unit, the charging cable is connected to the insertion hole, Smart cart, characterized in that by controlling the motor to release the grip of the payment means. delete According to claim 1,
The sum of the weight of the purchase registration product through the product weight measurement unit,
The smart cart and the user's total weight (hereinafter, first cart weight) before the user's shopping start, and
Smart cart, characterized in that it further comprises a; the smart cart after the user's shopping type, a storage unit for storing the product contained in the smart cart, and the user's total weight (hereinafter, second cart weight). 4. The method of claim 3,
a control unit controlling the payment for the purchase registration product to be performed when it is determined that the difference between the first cart weight and the second cart weight is within a first error range calculated based on the weight sum of the purchase registration product; Smart cart, characterized in that it further comprises. delete delete According to claim 1,
The locking and unlocking control unit,
When the charging cable is separated from the insertion hole, the smart cart, characterized in that for maintaining the grip of the payment means by controlling the motor. delete delete According to claim 1,
Further comprising; a control unit for classifying the type of product recognized through the product recognition unit into at least two products of a first type product, a second type product, and a third type product,
The first type of product is a product harmful to youth, the second type of product is a pay-as-you-go bag, and the third type of product is a product excluding the first type and the second type. According to claim 1,
Further comprising; a front panel constituting the front surface of the main frame,
The front panel includes a light emitting unit that emits a light source when the product recognized through the product recognition unit is a pre-stored specific product. 12. The method of claim 11,
The light emitting unit,
a first light emitting unit emitting a first light source when a product that a user wants to purchase includes a product harmful to juveniles; and
The smart cart further comprising; a second light emitting unit emitting a second light source different from the first light source when the product the user wants to purchase includes a pay-as-you-go bag.

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